Science Says Richard Sherman Is a Genius

The Seahawks star is under fire for unleashing an epic postgame rant—but here's why it might pay off

Two days after he made the play that sent his team to the Super Bowl, the whole world is still buzzing about Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman—but not for his athletic skills.

Instead, fans, analysts, and tweeters everywhere are up in arms about Sherman’s big mouth. In a postgame interview following Sunday’s NFC Conference Championship Game that instantly went viral, the cornerback unleashed a ferocious tirade against his competitor, 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree, warning him not to “open your mouth about the best or I’m going to shut it for you real quick.” (Sherman faced off against Crabtree all night long, and tipped a potential touchdown catch away from Crabtree’s hands in the game’s final seconds.)

Some are calling the rant classless, while others are saying it was just plain mean. Certainly no one’s calling Sherman a genius—but perhaps he is, and it's simply all part of his master plan.

It could be that the Stanford alum, who is said to be one of the most intelligent players in the NFL, knows that trash talk—whether it’s on the football field, in your office, or even over your videogame headset—can actually boost your self-confidence and ability.

Take one recent study at Florida State University: In the experiment, researchers tracked down 40 college-age guys willing to play Madden NFL for course credit. When allowed to trash talk, the players’ confidence in their own ability increased by 46 percent, the study found. Their video game scores also tended to improve, according to the research.

Self-assurance and positive emotion are essential to performance, and talking smack appears to provide a big shot of both, explains study coauthor Gershon Tenenbaum, Ph.D. While the effect on self-confidence and good vibes was clear, exactly how much your performance may improve is a tough thing to quantify, Tenenbaum says. His experiment involved 1-on-1 play between players of varying skill levels, and so there was no way to accurately gauge ability improvements, the researchers say.

The study looked only at video games, but Tenenbaum says his research can be applied to other competitive situations. Whether you’re playing pickup basketball with your buddies or trying to edge out your coworker for account executive of the month, a few well-timed “yo mama” jokes should juice your confidence and chances for success, Tenenbaum suggests.

What constitutes trash talk? Any verbal barb that builds up personal motivation or enjoyment while distracting or intimidating your opponent, according to the study. And no, you don’t have to get nasty or offensive. Just shouting out the score or gently poking fun at your pal’s weaknesses is enough to pump yourself up, the study shows. Of course, he'll still probably think you're an asshole.

When we ask if your job might be pushing you to an early grave, we're not being hyperbolic. According to a new study by researchers at the Harvard Business School and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business,...

One of the great signifiers of this moment in time is the smart phone. But really, it’s the smart phone's chief offering: the camera. In two seconds or less, you are equipped with the ability to document...

When you look at the photo above, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Do you think, “That looks like a scene from a softcore movie that aired on Cinemax in the 90s?” Or, “That's an artfully-done...

When you look at the photo above, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Do you think, “That looks like a scene from a softcore movie that aired on Cinemax in the 90s?” Or, “That's an artfully-done...

The gluten-free market is exploding. Between the years of 2011 to 2013, the food and beverage industry witnessed a 44 percent growth rate in gluten-free products, according to a 2013 Mintel survey.
Maybe...

It's a given that we’re willing to consider sources with dubious credentials to be experts. It’s like we want to believe that Dr. Phil is a licensed psychologist and that Wikipedia isn't compiled by...

Forgiveness scores you more than good karma points: People who let go of personal grudges see the world as less daunting and perform better physically than those who hang on to their resentment, finds...

I once lived with two roommates, both of whom were women. We weren’t dating. I never saw them naked or anything. Except for that time I tore off one of their shirts. But that was because of my dad. Wait,...

When those in the spotlight are struck with tragedy, we almost expect them to crumble from despair. But when the late, longtime ESPN sportscaster Stuart Scott was diagnosed with cancer—not once but three...